Cholesterically liquid-crystalline organopolysiloxanes and their preparation are disclosed, inter alia, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,570 to Kreuzer et al. Nematically liquid-crystalline polyacrylates which, in addition to mesogenic groups, also contain chromophoric groups in the side chains are described by H. Ringsdorf and H. W. Schmidt [Makromol. Chem. 187, 1327-1334 (1984)].
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide cholesteric organic polymers, preferably organopolysiloxanes, which can be easily oriented. A further object of the present invention is to provide cholesteric organic polymers, preferably organopolysiloxanes, whose orientation can be eliminated or modified at certain points by the incidence of light.